figure. Job’s perseverance and righteousness could be drawn on effectively in either case, so these references prove nothing. Before we move on too hastily, however, we might also inquire whether there are literary figures in the ancient world. We know that there are legendary figures, but there is no reason to believe that the legends are not built around historical persons (e.g., Gilgamesh, Adapa, Etana, Kirtu). How then would we establish that a character was simply a literary figure rather than